Known from Carrington Pt. Peninsula and west of Jaw Gulch (both SRO Isl.); also one unconfirmed location at Pt. Bennett (SMI Isl.), where not seen since 1938, despite recent surveys. Mainland plants previously included in C. mollis are C. affinis ssp. affinis. Threatened by cattle grazing and trampling, feral herbivores, and non-native plants. Likely parasitic on Isocoma menziesii var. sedoides. See Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia Vol. XCIX: 185-186 (1947) for original description and Madroño 38(2):141-142 (1991) for taxonomic reassessment.